In recent months, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society released a couple of bottles with the identifier 24 on the label. All of ’em got sold out within minutes, if not seconds. The reason for this: In the bottle code system of The SMWS, the number 24 stands for The Macallan (more…)
Over the years, Burg Scharfenstein – a medieval castle in the federal state of Thuringia in Germany – had many owners. Since most of them did not really know what to do with the place, they did not give it the attention it needed and deserved. Luckily, this changed in recent years (more…)
When I met Fary Lochan’s CCO and Chairman Thomas Smidt-Kjærby in Hamburg last Saturday, he told me something that really lightened up my heart: After a lengthy corona break, the distillery has meanwhile opened its doors to visitors again. And the drammers in Denmark (more…)
In mid-March, I took part in a fantastic Carlos I online tasting run by my good friend Michael Lutz. I enjoyed the event so much that I decided to buy a new bottle of Carlos I afterwards. At first I aimed for the PX or the Amontillado. But then I thought to myself: Why not up the ante (more…)
Whisky made in Germany – that’s far more than an insider’s tip these days! All over my home country, go-getting distillers put their malt, grain and rye spirit into casks and develop it to become whisky or whiskey (unlike Scotland or Ireland, there is no unified spelling here in Germany; (more…)
If you appreciate a good sherry cask maturation, here comes a recommendation: Besides sherry-matured whisky, there is another type of spirit you should definitely keep in your sights, namely Brandy de Jerez. Like cognac, armagnac and other brandies, Brandy de Jerez (more…)
Right in time for Christmas, the good people of Weinquelle Lühmann launched their second indie bottling. Like the Caol Ila 10yo they put out in November, this one also appears under the new-found label Weinquelle’s Whisky Choice. Whereas the first release was aimed at the peatheads (more…)
Earlier this year, one of my favorite Scotch distilleries, Benromach, completely overhauled their corporate identity and bottle design. At first, it took me a bit to adjust to the new look and feel. But now I am happy to say: I love it! It tells a story. It sticks out. (more…)
Many people envison a classic Scotch distillery to be located in a picturesque valley at the foot of a towering mountain in the Highlands. And yes, when you travel Scotland you will indeed find several such units here and there. But you will also find many others (more…)
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